Private home care can be provided by families or hired from an agency and can range from hourly care to live-in care, making it often more affordable than nursing homes.
Families and seniors should carefully evaluate the various home care options. Home care costs can range widely depending on where the individual resides, with Medicare covering some costs or long-term care insurance providing additional support.
Cost
Home care can be an expensive necessity for families. Seniors may access care through government programs like Medicare or Medicaid or privately.
Homecare agencies tend to charge more than private caregivers; families must account for workers’ compensation and liability insurance costs, payroll taxes and agency overhead when considering agency care compared with hiring privately. Furthermore, agency care often includes extra perks not available when hiring privately such as providing back-up aides to ensure no gaps occur in care delivery.
Families may find they save money by hiring private caregivers directly. For instance, healthy seniors with limited needs for assistance at home may only require several short hours each week of help for housework, companionship and meal preparation; it might even be possible to hire one for less than $1,000 monthly.
Types of Care
Home care is an evolving industry that helps seniors remain independent in the homes where they feel most at ease and familiar. There are various forms of home care services, each tailored specifically for the senior’s needs.
Some home care agencies provide skilled nursing services that must be prescribed by a physician, such as medical case management or involvement of a doctor in creating a treatment plan. Others specialize in personal care, companionship and ongoing support services.
Home care services provide elderly individuals with all of their basic needs when family is unavailable; when this is no longer the case, caregivers can step in. Some home care services offer transportation for appointments and errands, enabling them to remain living at home safely with a caring companion – this type of 24-hour or live-in assistance known as private duty home care is covered by Medicare/Medicaid or long term insurance policies.
Insurance & Private Pay
Many families worry about how they will pay for home care services, but Medicare, Medicaid or long-term care insurance could cover your costs.
Private pay home care allows individuals and families to select the caregiver of their choice, while government funded home health agencies typically only offer limited choices due to stringent eligibility requirements that must be fulfilled for these programs.
Another key advantage of private home care providers offering private pay care services is matching their caregiving staff to match client’s needs and personality, leading to higher levels of client satisfaction and higher profits for agencies like Nurse Next Door (a premium home care brand) that prioritizes private pay over servicing Medicare and Medicaid – this allows them to offer premium home care experience that matches up with their brand promise of Happier Aging.
Finding a Caregiver
Finding caregivers who get along well with your loved one, understand their needs, and can successfully carry out the job is of paramount importance. Start by outlining a clear job description and seeking references for candidates.
Once you’ve narrowed down your options to several applicants, arrange an in-person interview either at your loved one’s home or a local coffee shop. Invite other family members if they feel comfortable participating. Ask if the caregiver speaks the same language as your elderly loved ones as well as being willing to work alongside other healthcare providers such as medical social workers or nurse practitioners as part of a team approach.
An additional consideration when hiring caregivers for your loved one should be whether to go with an agency or hire them directly. Agencies tend to charge higher, while their caregivers have been carefully screened and more experience. If choosing a private caregiver, ensure they carry liability insurance in case an accident happens in your loved one’s home.